Re: Copyright notices on GPL'ed software

[Stefaan A Eeckels]

On Fri, 15 Dec 2006 21:05:31 +0000
"Dave (from the UK)" <see-my-signature@southminster-branch-line.org.uk>
wrote:

> I decided to take on further development of the project, so created a 
> new project on Sourceforge
> 
> http://chessdb.sourceforge.net/
> 
> for a new chess program 'ChessDB' for which 99.9% of the code is the 
> code from Scid, with minor changes here and there.
> 
> What copyright notices should be left and/or added to the source.

Why not read the GPL? This is what it says:

|  2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion
| of it, thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and
| distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1
| above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:
|
|    a) You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices
|    stating that you changed the files and the date of any change.
|
|    b) You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in
|    whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any
|    part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third
|    parties under the terms of this License.
|
|    c) If the modified program normally reads commands interactively
|    when run, you must cause it, when started running for such
|    interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an
|    announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a
|    notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying that you provide
|    a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program under
|    these conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of this
|    License.  (Exception: if the Program itself is interactive but
|    does not normally print such an announcement, your work based on
|    the Program is not required to print an announcement.)

You can add your own copyright notice (which then also serves to meet
the requirement of clause 2a). 

Of course you should leave the original copyright notices in place. You
don't want to create the impression you wrote the code, do you?

-- 
Stefaan A Eeckels
-- 
"Shun those who say we have eyes in order to see, and instead say we
 see because we happen to have eyes."